The Lazy Person’s Guide to Money Management

Summer is here, and you have things to do. There are bonfires to attend, vacations to take and books to read. Who wants to waste valuable time thinking about money?

Fortunately, you can have a lazy summer by the pool and still be financially responsible. You simply need to follow this handy guide to money management. It covers what you need to do if you want to spend less time balancing the budget and more time perfecting your golf swing.

Let your bills pay themselves

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Virtually every bank and credit union has online bill-pay. If yours doesn’t, it might be time to shop for a new financial institution. You can do so by stopping by our Solutions Center and finding the right bank for you.

Bill-pay services link to online accounts, receive paperless statements and automatically pay bills on the due date. If your biller doesn’t offer compatible paperless statements, simply set up an automatic payment to go out each month at a specific time. Paying bills doesn’t get any easier.

Bundle services whenever you can

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Bundle whatever services you can. Why send payments to separate companies for auto, home and life insurance when you could deal with one company for all three? Same goes for your phone, internet and cable television.

Bundling services isn’t just a lazy way to manage your money, it’s a smart one too. Most companies give discounts if you purchase more than one service from them.

Grow your savings effortlessly

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Set up a direct deposit from your paycheck into your savings account. Many employers allow workers to split their paycheck between multiple accounts. Send part of yours to savings. Trust us, you’ll never miss it.

If you don’t have this option at work, don’t fret: Banks often let you set up automatic transfers that are almost as good. Get lazy, and watch your savings account grow without any effort.

Use automated budgeting tools

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Fortunately, you don’t have to spend your days toiling over a spreadsheet. Thanks to online budgeting tools such as You Need a Budget and Mint, there is no reason to bother with math when summer fun beckons.

After a quick set-up, these programs automatically sync with your bank accounts, categorize your spending and create reports for you to review later.

Ditch the debt and consolidate your cards

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Debt isn’t just expensive, it’s time-consuming. If you have multiple credit cards that are charged to the max, you can cross a relaxing summer off your calendar. Instead, you’ll be juggling multiple due dates, trying to remember which one won’t be declined and hoping your interest charges don’t send you to bankruptcy court.

The lazy way to manage your money is to simply get rid of the debt. If that’s not possible, consolidate to a single account. Fewer accounts require less time to manage and let you get on with the more important things in life. Check out our Solutions Center to find the best credit card for your needs.

Forget clipping coupons

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OK, so some people loooove clipping coupons. They relish the idea of three hours on Sunday spent scanning ads and finding deals. For everyone else, it’s time-sucking drudgery.

Here’s a pro tip: Forget coupons, and buy the store brand instead. The days of mega-deals found at the height of the couponing craze are largely gone. For those of you looking for a lazy way to save, going generic is practically as good.

Pay less online without even trying

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Rather than searching for coupon codes before making a purchase online, install a browser add-on such as Honey or Gumdrop that will automatically search for savings and alert you to coupons.

Make ‘Subscribe & Save’ your new best friend

The service is offered through Amazon and lets you schedule regular shipments of your favorite products. As a bonus, items purchased through this method are discounted up to 15 percent and ship for free.

Amazon isn’t the only lazy way to save money and keep the household supplies stocked. A number of other companies from Grove Collaborative to Chewy offer similar services.

Don’t forget to ask if you can get your prescriptions via mail order as well. We’re talking major savings there if your insurance company allows it.

Skip the job search and ask for a raise instead

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You are worth so much more than your boss is paying you. The hard way to solve this problem is to find a new job. But since you’re looking for the lazy way to improve your money situation, ask for a raise instead.

Hitting up your boss for more money requires a little bit of effort on your part. Research what others are making and craft a pitch to explain why you deserve more. This is way less work than searching for new employment.

Team up with neighbors

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Why spend time and money buying and maintaining items like lawn mowers, power tools and ladders if you don’t have to? Borrow your neighbor’s instead.

If nobody has the item you need, ask a friend to go in on the purchase and share the item.

What tricks do you have up your sleeve for easy money management? Share with us in comments below or on our Facebook page.

Disclosure: The information you read here is always objective. However, we sometimes receive compensation when you click links within our stories.

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Maryalene LaPonsie

After 13 years as a staffer for a Michigan legislator, I decided it was time to quit the commute and work from home instead. For the past three years, I’ve been penning ... More

After 13 years as a staffer for a Michigan legislator, I decided it was time to quit the commute and work from home instead. For the past three years, I’ve been penning articles on everything from personal finance to parenting, although politics remains my passion. I’m a numbers geek who loves helping others find the right balance between frugal finances and living life deeply. When I’m not writing, I’m busy trying to raise my and my late husband’s five children to be compassionate people, critical thinkers and lifelong learners.